A Feminist and Postcolonial analysis of how and why peacekeeping missions are involved in the very horrors they seek to address

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to unfold how and why UN peacekeeping missions are involved in the horrors they seek to address. This research is based on an in-depth literature review of already existing publications as well as content analysis of UN Resolutions and documents. Using feminist and postcolonial International Relations theory this research claims how crucial it is to examine the implications of peacekeeping operations. It is argued that problems of sexual misconduct can be explained with reference to the peacekeepers’ militarized masculinities as well as their ideas about the exploitable native women which are inherently oriental narratives. The examination of racist crimes demonstrates how peacekeeping operates under a larger neo-colonial world order. In the end, after having presented the shortcomings and harmful implications of UNSCR 1325 with regards to peacekeeping it will become evident how urgent it is to challenge the complicit nature of IR with global politics. Ultimately, I will offer a framework for critically examining the discourses and meanings produced by the UN and documents such as the aforementioned Resolution.